· Greek theatre was a product of the worship of the god Dionysus · The plays were performed in outdoor theaters called theatrons · Some actors played several character roles in one play · Athens was the epicenter of ancient Greek theater · The casts were all male · Since the number of actors was usually 1-3, they had to switch masks to change characters · The actors were all men, so they wore masks to play female parts · Masks were made of linen, wood, leather, human and animal hair and marble · The masks portrayed gender, age and social status Types of Greek plays · Tragedy- The story of the downfall of a heroic main character through a personal error that turns out to be fatal and conveys pity to the audience · Comedy- A story of a main character that starts out with misfortune in the beginning, but begins to have good luck and has a happy ending, contains many jokes and humor · Satyr- Similar to a comedy, but incorporates many tricksters
· Greek theatre was a product of the worship of the god Dionysus
· The plays were performed in outdoor theaters called theatrons
· Some actors played several character roles in one play
· Athens was the epicenter of ancient Greek theater
· The casts were all male
· Since the number of actors was usually 1-3, they had to switch masks to change characters
· The actors were all men, so they wore masks to play female parts
· Masks were made of linen, wood, leather, human and animal hair and marble
· The masks portrayed gender, age and social status
Types of Greek plays
· Tragedy- The story of the downfall of a heroic main character through a personal error that turns out to be fatal and conveys pity to the audience
· Comedy- A story of a main character that starts out with misfortune in the beginning, but begins to have good luck and has a happy ending, contains many jokes and humor
· Satyr- Similar to a comedy, but incorporates many tricksters
Sources: "Greek Theater - Crystalinks." Crystalinks Home Page. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. http://www.crystalinks.com/greektheater.html.
"Greek Theater." Reed College. Web. 01 Dec. 2010. http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Theater.html.